Goofy

This is the type of stuff I find on my phone when I upload to the computer. :

Not to be left out, Mason has his own brand of goofiness

Party Animal

 Mason's birthday party was last week and, though many of those invited couldn't make it, we had fun with those who could! Here are a few pictures of his special day:

The hit of the party! Grams and Papa gave Mason this
car . Every one took turns pushing him around in it as Mason
waved to his adoring fans.

Samantha made Mason's "smash cake" and it sure held up to it's name

Mason was a little hesitant to dig in, so he had some help getting started.

Juan shows them how it's done.

"Oh! I get it!"

Cake : Smashed

Big sister helped open presents

The boys with Juan

Logan amid the mess made by the bigger kids.

Since turning one, Mason has taken his first steps and broadened his vocabulary. He says about 20 different words, his favorite being " Match!" ( Mack). He also now sleeps through the night every night! Yay, big boy!
                                   

Hello, Goodbye

Just when we think spring has shown up for good, another ten day forecast reveals SNOW! Yesterday we hit a record high of 83 degrees . We all donned our newly unpacked summer shorts, baring our pasty white legs and spent a whole day outside only to receive an alert on my phone that, with in 24 hours, we could expect the snow to start falling, ending in accumulations of 4-6 inches of snow.  So here is the evidence that spring has been here and here's hoping winter won't last long. It shouldn't since we're supposed to be back in the 50's by Thursday.

Look who I found in my Hyacinth garden

With the blooming of dandelions, so goes the need for allergy meds!

Our home grown spring window disply

Mack's bug playground is a busy place on warm days

The Long family zoo

Lizzy was transported home in a large glass

Last week Mackenzie and Kaleb were out looking for bugs when they happened upon a lizard. My sister's and I have grown up trying to trap one of these darty fellows and only one time was Nikki able to catch one so I was pretty surprised to hear that Mack had managed to grab this one.

Mack and Lizzy

With each trip to Petsmart, Mack looks longingly at the bearded dragons, geckos, and lizards. The catching of the lizard was funny timing because Mike and I were thinking of getting Mack a gift because, over the last year, she's been such a great big sister and wonderful helper. So it was decided that the lizard fit the description and off went Mike and Mack to get the things " Lizzy" ( a great name for a lizard , Mack says) would need while I stayed with a snoozing Mason.

Lizzy has a nice, sweltering home in  Mack's room. She has the occasional company of a curious little boy and a curious cat. Though everything seems perfect for Lizzy, she still hasn't eaten much of the variety of meal worms and crickets we've offered her. If she doesn't eat in the next few days, we'll probably need to let her go back at Gram's house.

Home at last!

Gettin' crafty!

My mom and I put together a craft day for some of the ladies in our lives. We served brunch, shopped with Premier Jewelry presented by Cass , made coffee filter roses and finally decoupage boxes. Add in some laughter and great conversation and you have one heck of a fun day. Here are a few pictures from our time:

Aunt Janis working on her coffee filter rose

Carley hard at work

Meggan , Brittany, Tammy and Oakley

Becky, Sierra, Anaka, Kim , my mom and Mack

Becky's box turned out great!

Brooklyn was excited to win a door prize

My little sunshine was happy to be apart of the ladies day

Kim and my mom before the fun got started

Rhonda with her beautiful creation

Tummy Tickle

Mack loves to run ahead of me to get Mason from his crib after a nap. Yesterday , Mason sprung up and giggled at the sight of her and Mack burst into giggles right back saying " Every time I see Mason, I get this little tickle in my tummy and I have to laugh." I love how she loves him.

Birthday boy!

 We had a great day celebrating Mason! We started the day off in style- Cupcakes! His present from us was is a water table that can be used as a sensory table in the cooler months. He and Mack had fun playing in that and the sand box before we headed of for dinner...which was breakfast (!) since Mason's favorite foods are pancakes and eggs. We invited Grams along since her birthday is just two days after Mason's.

Fun to be 1!

Birthday kiss

Love note to a boy

Mason-
When I took the test ...the test...that told me I what I'd waited to hear, that I was pregnant, something in me knew I was carrying a boy. As you wriggled, constantly moving, inside my belly, I tried to gauge your personality and dreamed of what you'd look like. Today I know one thing- I never could have imagined a boy like you.

One year ago I could never have known the joy and the struggles I'd face in the early days of your life.  I experienced heights and depths those first months and there were times I couldn't recognize myself through the anxiety fog that gripped me. With the help of Daddy and Grams and the love of  my beautiful kids, the fog lifted and I was able to finally enjoy the most beautiful little boy I'd ever seen.

While other mothers with kids your age were sleeping soundly through the night, you woke every two hours the first 4 months and then every three hours until just a few weeks ago. Never once did I begrudge having to get up to nurse you , soothe you or simply give the cuddles you needed. The way you snuggled into my chest and fell back to sleep brought me something that sleep never could. There is something medicinal in cozying up with a sweetly snoring baby in the darkness.

The phrase " mama's boy" has been in my mind since I first saw you. Across the room, you were being weighed and poked and prodded while I , numb and doped up on pain meds, watched from my hospital bed. Even through your fuzzy newborn vision, your eyes locked mine. From that day it was apparent that you loved your mommy more than a belly full of milk. I feel honored to be the apple of your eye. I hope these years that your mine will build a relationship that is strong and close but that when it's time, and I see you looking adoringly at someone else, I will be able to forfeit my spot at the top .

And despite your adoration for me, my heart bursts when you see your daddy and your arms flail and you lunge toward him.He will lead you down the road towards manhood and what a great example he is. I can't wait for the day that you realize just how amazing he is and to see the three of you heading off on adventures or knee deep in projects.

My greatest wish is that you'll always look at your sister with the adoration that you have now. While she's the first to grab your toy when you aren't paying attention, she's also the one who soothes you when you cry and brings out your best belly laughs. She'll be your best friend but getting there means she might be an "enemy" from time to time.

I've always described you as the happiest of babies 98% of the time. When you're mad you mean it and anyone in a three block radius will know it. I pray that you carry this passion with you. That the certainty in your emotions won't ever be shoved down, but that you'll embrace them and truly feel them.

Now you're on the cusp - still a baby but not far from being a toddler. I see sheer determination on your face as you press on to conquer each new milestone. May you always feel that drive and let it guide you towards success at what makes your heart happy. Today , it's sneaking to the top of the stairs before someone sees and  snatches  you up; before we know it, you'll be pushing for even great heights in schooling and careers.

You've changed me in ways that I can't express. You've forced me to deal with parts of myself that I avoided and because of that, I can love you and your sister and daddy with out being tethered to my anxieties so much. You've shown me that, though things don't always follow my agenda, when they don't, I will be ok and that somethings turn out better when left to happen as they will.

When your sister was born, I couldn't imagine ever loving anyone more than I did her. I thought it'd be unfair to have another child because there was a chance that I might not be capable of loving it as fully as I do Mackenzie. Today, I can tell you that you've tripled my hearts capacity. I love you, Mason Boy!

Mason's first year in pictures ( don't forget to adjust your volume)

Spring-outside in

Colorado, as well as many other states, are experiencing a rather strange spring. Around here, we have been calling it " sprinter" , spring AND winter. We've gotten more snow this month than we did in February and aren't in the clear yet. We have had quite a few nicer days that have coaxed out many of my early spring bulbs just in time for another round of snow. At the news we'd be getting as much as 5 more inches tonight, I plucked some of the early birds from my flower beds so I could enjoy spring...inside:

 

 

My first springtime bouquet collected on our walk to the park yesterday

Yesterday- highs just under 70. Today, 3 inches of snow and high of 30.
Thankfully, after tomorrow, we're on a climb to 70's by Friday.

Stumped!

We had to special order a gate to keep our little climber safe. He doesn't seem too upset, though. It seems as though he thinks of this gate as just another challenge. He stands at the gate and shakes it , set on figuring out a way up. The day that he climbs over this, the day this mama just might faint!

Best Buds

It's so much fun to watch Mason and Logan growing up together. They've gone from tiny little immobile beings to interacting with each other. The interactions aren't always mutual and they aren't always pleasant but Cass and I know that, because they have no choice, they'll grow up to be great friends.

" Mine!"

The stare down

My quirky girl

Day in and day out I watch Mackenzie and not a single day goes by that I don't thank God for her. She is sunshine and sassiness all bottled up into one little girl. I watched her last week crawl across the yard on hands and knees, pushing in front of her a snow ball. The snow wasn't good for packing but she put all she had into it wanting to make the biggest snow man of the season. 30 minutes late, rosey cheeked and grinning, Mack appeared at the sliding glass door with this little guy:

He currently resides in our freezer

Her kind heart is always looking for ways to help. From calming her impatient little brother to slicing strawberries for the morning pancakes ( to feed to her impatient brother):

Ever the helper.

The fruits of her labor

She has the sweetest little quirks to her personality. Though the outdoors call to her and her spirit is far to wild to fit the mold of the " princessy" type, there's a little part of her that loves to feel " fancy". She's squirreled away a collection of perfumes, jewels, lip glosses , her daddy's cologne and yes, even deodorant which she keeps in the dinosaur print bag Grams made her. Each morning and evening, she pulls out the " Mackenzie" door sign from her room and hangs it on our bedroom door ( signifying that " Mackenzie's" is open for business) and sets up her salon, spritzing and sprucing up her client, whomever he/she might be. This is so endearing to me.

Mackenzie's Salon

Even Sydney, who doesn't see much need for humans aside for the necessities, has fallen in love with Mackenzie. She has to be chased from her room each night. If not, she wakes Mack up during the wee hours of the morning for pets:

Snoozing buddies

I can't resist spending a little time each day watching Mackenzie flitting about in her own little world. I feel like I have this secret treasure , one that will one day do something big. It isn't such a secret, though, because each person that meets her seems to feel the same way.

Colors of change

We went to Home Depot to get ideas for paint colors and , 24 hours later, had two freshly painted rooms! Even we were impressed by ourselves considering we managed to keep both kids and the dog occupied while one of both of us painted.

Someone asked if we were home sick since these are
Wolverine colors. I commented that these have always been " our
colors" starting with our wedding day

Two crazy drivers touring Home Depot

In less than 10 hours, Mike and I managed to paint 97% of the
two rooms. No one came out of that day clean

Mack was the supervisor and rated Mike and me on
our painting skills. We received mostly high grades.

Painting was very tiring for all of us.

But the end result was well worth it.

Our plan is to have the living room done this week, before Mason's birthday party on Sunday!